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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown
From: brown@nicmad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Does cable-ready still need a converter?
Message-ID: <169@nicmad.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-May-85 00:21:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: nicmad.169
Posted: Thu May 16 00:21:50 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 17-May-85 03:09:01 EDT
References: <596@udenva.UUCP> <153@nic_vax.UUCP> <200@mhuxl.UUCP>
Organization: Nicolet Instrument Corp. Madison WI
Lines: 38

> > talk with our cable engineers and find out why.  If they say you have to
> > use their box you could also sue them for the cost of the TV that you
> > didn't have to buy.  Either way I still would like to find out their
> > reasons.
> >    (!ihnp4!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown)
                              ^^^^^^  system name change

> Could you really sue a cable company for the cost of the TV that you didn't
> have to buy? I'm in a situation right now where I'm a slave to the converter
> box in order to get the pay channels. It is especially frustrating when I
> want to program recordings of different channels and I have to be there to
> change the channel on the converter box.
> 
> 	(...mhuxl!ogre)

Ah, the converter box that is needed for pay channels.  I'm afraid that you
are a loser on that one.  Read the manual carefully.  Just about every manual
that I have read for a cable ready device, has a disclaimer about pay channels.
The bottom line of the disclaimer says that some cable companies require a
special decoder in order to receive the pay channels.

But to buy a cable ready TV or VCR that can't be used on a cable system,
without getting pay channels that are scrambled, is a problem that the
cable company has to address.  They should send out a mailer about cable
ready TVs and VCRs indicating that they can't be used (which is still find
strange) and to inform potential customers about such.  The cable company
could be in trouble over not telling anyone.

I am still waiting for mail for net news about that cable company.

-- 
              |------------|
              | |-------| o|    JVC HRD725U 
Mr. Video     | |       | o|  |--------------|
              | |       |  |  | |----| o o o |
              | |-------| O|  |--------------|
              |------------|     VHS Hi-Fi (the only way to go)
   ({!seismo,!ihnp4}!uwvax!astroatc!nicmad!brown)